Bill Clinton Pushes Inclusion, Optimism At North Carolina Rally
Oct. 26--WILMINGTON -- In promoting the campaign of his wife, Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton, former President Bill Clinton told a Wilmington crowd -- including a particularly loud heckler -- that America still is great and that his wife wants to be everyone's president.
"You need a president who would leave nobody out," he said. "You need a president who will serve everyone."
Immediately into his roughly 40-minute speech at Cape Fear Community College's Union Station Commons outdoor amphitheater, Clinton received loud heckling from a man who shouted that the former president raised taxes and that Republican nominee Donald Trump would cut them.
"Well, you don't have to worry because your candidate doesn't pay taxes," Clinton said to the heckler and to loud applause, "and my candidate has paid 40 percent of our income in taxes for the last 15 years."
Trump has not released his tax returns and has been accused of using a business loss to avoid paying federal income taxes for several years.
The crowd of 1,625 began booing the man as he was led out of the rally by campaign staff -- something Clinton asked them not to do.
"Don't boo them," Clinton said. "Don't behave like them. Give them a hand."
Issues
Clinton said his wife is ready to "unleash" money to expand small business loans to women and minorities.
"She's the only one talking about this and who has a plan to get it done," he said.
Clinton said Trump is making campaign promises he can't keep.
"I'd like to be 20 again. I would," he said. "But I wouldn't vote for someone who promised to make me 20 again."
Clinton also decried North Carolina's House Bill 2 law, which mandates that people use public bathroom facilities that correspond with the gender on their birth certificate. It has been criticized as discriminatory against the transgender and gay communities.
"People know you because of this?" the former president said. "That's not the North Carolina I know ... (North Carolina is) a beacon of hope for the future."
Clinton said Trump's rhetoric against the Muslim community -- he has called for a ban on Muslim immigrants and criticized the parents of a Muslim U.S. soldier killed in combat -- will do nothing to stop terrorism.
"We cannot hope to stop these acts of terror without the support of American Muslims. It is a terrible mistake to demonize them, especially if they have a son who was killed serving in the United States military," he said.
Education
Clinton said his wife would work to ensure access to affordable preschool and child care and targeting education funding to hiring more teachers.
"She believes we'd be better off if we emphasized better teachers, better principals and more parental involvement in the schools," he said.
He said she would also support free tuition at community colleges and public four-year colleges for families earning $125,000 a year or less.
He said the plan came about by combining Clinton's earlier plan with that of her Democratic primary opponent, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders.
"That's the way America ought to work, is people working together," he said.
Health care
Clinton said "the last thing we should do" is repeal the Affordable Care Act -- commonly known as Obamacare.
"We now have 90 percent of Americans with health insurance for the first time," he said. "You don't want to take that health insurance away from people."
He said the country should work to improve the plan by not allowing large spikes to be absorbed by people and small business owners "who make just a little bit above" income levels that guide insurance plans.
"We can fix that," he said.
Getting along
Clinton acknowledged that the presidential campaign has featured strange and nasty moments.
He said the country needs to get past the petty squabbles that have dominated the national conversation.
"We need to stop all this fighting over our differences and build a common community," Clinton said.
He said Trump has "been pouring poison down everyone's throat" and that he asked a friend to describe, in one line, how people should view Trump's candidacy.
"He didn't miss a beat. He said, 'If you don't want somebody to drive the truck off the cliff, do not give them the keys,'" he said.
Clinton said Hillary Clinton would "bring everyone along" on that truck, "avoiding hazards on the road," rather than working to benefit any one class of people.
"Cooperation works better than constant conflict," he said. "And, in the end, bridges work better than walls."
Wednesday's appearance by Bill Clinton came on his wife's 69th birthday and is part of a push by the Clinton campaign to win North Carolina, which is considered a key battleground state in the presidential election.
Reporter Tim Buckland can be reached at 910-343-2217 or [email protected].
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(c)2016 the Star-News (Wilmington, N.C.)
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